


I Pick You, I Choose You, I Love You

by writingfever



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Adoption, All pertaining to the Original Character Not the Boys, Domestic Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Mild Smut, Multi, Slice of Life, mentions of past neglect
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-29
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-14 13:28:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29046918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writingfever/pseuds/writingfever
Summary: The Tomlinson pack are a busy bunch, all of them being way more work oriented than any of them would like. Babies are out of the question.Children, however, are not.
Relationships: Niall Horan/Zayn Malik/Liam Payne/Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9





	I Pick You, I Choose You, I Love You

**Author's Note:**

> Did I write another story while having two other stories still going? 
> 
> Yes. Yes, I did. Do forgive me, but you gotta do what you gotta do. For me that is writing whatever cooks up in my head. 
> 
> I know I haven't added many tags but I can't think of any, so I'll think of them and then add them.

“Hey, you’re back.” Harry smiled as Liam walked into the kitchen and dropped his briefcase.

“Yeah.” Liam gave his omega a tired smile, he placed his elbows on the counter table and put his face into his hands.

“Tough day?”

Liam nodded, “Kind of. It was check-up day today.” Check-up day meant Liam went to the fostering agency to do a check-up on the new kids entered into the system and the ones who require care.

“Oh, I’m sorry, baby.” Harry wiped his wet hands with a napkin and came around to kiss Liam. Check-up days were hard on the alpha. “Someone in particular?”

“No. I just… it hurts my heart.” Liam laid his head on Harry’s shoulder.

“I know, love.” Harry patted the alpha’s cheek.

“Are the others back yet?” Zayn, Louis and Niall had gone to one of Louis’s colleague’s baby shower. “Did they find a gift to take?”

“Yeah, they did. They bought a baby monitor on the way. I spoke to Zayn about half an hour ago, they said they’ll try to leave soon so probably on their way.”

Liam chuckled, “I’m pretty sure they already had one of those.”

“Louis didn’t have it in him to care anymore.”

“He’s not going to be in a good mood when he comes back, is he?”

Harry shook his head and got off the chair, “I’ll warm you some food, why don’t you go change?”

“I don’t want to get up.”

“I know but there’s lasagne, you’ll regret wearing not wearing comfortable pants.”

Liam fought a smile while looking at Harry with feigned seriousness. “I go to the gym five days a week, have you no respect for my hard work?”

“Go!”

*****

“We’re home!” Niall shouted from the entrance making Louis cringe.

“Ni.” Zayn pushed the omega into their house away from his cranky husband.

“Hi.” Niall went and hugged Harry from behind, “We missed you.”

“I’m sure. Megan happy with her gift?” Harry turned and hugged the omega. He looked at Louis from Niall’s shoulder to see his alpha frowny.

“She loved it. Apparently they’d ordered for one but cancelled it there and then.” Zayn chuckled and shoved Louis a little with his shoulder, “Stop pouting, you big baby.”

“Shut up, Z. Where’s Liam?”

“On a call. Something at work, I think.” Harry replied.

“Does he ever get a break?”

“Babe, he just got promoted, it was expected.” Niall left Harry to go put his arms around Louis. That’s what he did the entire time he was at the party. Even people around them were asking Zayn if Louis was okay.

“I barely get to see him anymore.” Louis pouted. He was being overdramatic but Liam was late more and more for dinner and sometimes he didn’t get home till morning.

“Cut him some slack today. It was check-up day.”

Louis huffed, “Now his job upsets him too. Great.”

“Lou, I love you, but you’re being a miserable twat. It’s not the job it’s the kids.” Zayn had nearly had enough.

“I heard my name a couple of times.” Liam entered the living room and sat next to Louis throwing an arm over the alpha’s shoulders. “I take it the party was everything you expected it to be.”

“Why must you have a party for your unborn child?”

“Because you’re happy about it.”

Louis scoffed, “It’s like the universe is rubbing salt into the wound. How is it that ever since we decided to stop trying to get pregnant we got invited to six baby showers in a _month_?”

Stop trying to get pregnant was a hard decision for them. They didn’t even try for very long but with Liam climbing in the ranks and Louis taking on as the student counsellor along with being the English teacher, it got busy. They barely had time for anything let along a baby. Niall, Harry and Zayn already had time consuming jobs with Harry being a real estate agent, Zayn having his third art gallery opening soon and Niall with his production company.

“You know we can always restart trying.” Liam suggested.

“Liam, shut the fuck up.” Louis shrugged Liam’s arm off of himself, “We don’t have time for a baby. How the hell is Haz supposed to sell houses and hop around town while being pregnant? And even if he can, what then? When the baby’s here, who’s going to be home to take care of it? You’re always at the hospital, me at the school, Z has more to do now more than ever and Niall is always in meetings. How will we ever have a baby who requires twenty four hours, seven days a week attention? Unless you have a way of birthing an eleven year old, come to me then and maybe we can have this discussion.” The alpha got up and went upstairs leaving his husbands staring after him. They all knew it was a hard decision to stop trying for a baby but it never was overwhelming for them. Turns out it was for Louis.

“Sorry, Li, it’s just everyone at the party was like ‘Oh, you should have kids, I’m sure the glow would suit Niall perfectly.’ Louis was nearly ready to bark at them.”

“Everyone’s just jealous they don’t have me.” Niall smiled smugly, not taking Louis’s words to heart.

“He’s right, you know?” Harry began.

“You want to research how to birth an eleven year old?” Zayn joked.

“I don’t need to birth one. We can always adopt.”

All heads turned to him and Harry felt a little conscious. He’s never been against the concept of adoption, he thinks it’s amazing, if not a _need_. Too many children in the system and not enough homes.

“That’s not funny, Harry.” Liam frowned at Harry.

“I’m not joking. I’m as serious as serious gets.”

“Haz, you can’t just say things like that based on an off handed comment Lou made while throwing a fit.” Zayn said.

Harry shook his head, “Okay but you can’t tell me it’s not the perfect idea. We can foster and then eventually adopt. Liam meets those kids all the time.”

“Stop it?!” Liam yelled, his face worried and panicked, “You can’t just foster a kid because it’s convenient, Harry. This isn’t Amazon that you can pick, add to cart and get it delivered.”

“I never said that!? You out of all of them should be supporting this.”

“Harry, you’re talking about children like you want to go _shopping_.”

Harry sighed, “Forget it. Forget I said anything.” He too got up and left to go to their room. He saw Louis lying in bed, a book in hand. “Hey.” He whispered and crawled to the alpha.

“Hi.” Louis closed the book and removed his reading glasses, Harry almost ask him to put them back on because the man looked hot. He always did but the glasses took it up a notch. “What happened downstairs?”

“Nothing.” The curly head laid down to put his head on Louis thigh and the alpha knew Harry wanted him to massage his head.

“You’re upset.”

“I just am.” He leaned into the soft presses of the alpha’s hand.

“Can I help?”

Harry bit his lip and shook his head. There’s nothing Louis can do to help him.

*****

Liam was having the toughest day he’s ever had at work. Not because of one of his tough cases or a particularly sad one, it was because of Harry. The omega’s words wouldn’t leave him alone. He almost zoned out while filling out some paperwork, which a doctor _cannot_ afford. He hasn’t been this distracted since he was an intern.

“Dr. Payne?”

Liam snapped out from staring at his computer, “Yes, Rose. I’m sorry, you were saying?”

“The reports you called for have been delayed and I don’t think you’ll be getting them today. The labs are jam packed.”

Liam clicked the pen in his hands a couple of time and chewed on his inner cheek, “Yeah, okay. Thank you, Rose.” The nurse smiled at him before turning to leave, “Rose, wait!”

The nurse turned to listen to him, “Can you email them to me if they come by tonight and if they come tomorrow, I’ll get it from you. I think I’ll be leaving for today.”

“Okay. Are you feeling okay, Dr. Payne? You look like you’re coming down with something.”

Liam gave her a weak smile, “Maybe. I should be feeling better by tomorrow.” He packed up quick and spoke to a couple of interns, giving them instructions, and made apologies for his early departure. 

When he parked in his garage he saw Louis and Harry’s car too. It was only four in the evening, both of them got home at the earliest of five, Louis sometimes was able to manage an early day but never Harry.

“Guys? I’m home.” He yelled from the entrance, “Lou?” He saw the alpha lying on his stomach on the couch.

“Li?” Louis’s voice sounded groggy. “How come you’re home?”

Liam dropped near Louis’s legs and the alpha turned throwing his legs over Liam’s lap. “I had a weird day, and some labs were delayed. Can’t do much without them so I left.”

Louis got up and cuddled into Liam’s side, the alpha bending down to kiss Louis’s forehead, “It’s the first time in a long time that you’re home earlier than nine.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

Louis shook his head and kissed Liam’s cheek, “Don’t be sorry about working. I just miss you is all. _We_ miss you.”

Liam had nothing to say. He misses his husbands too but ever since he became head of Peds it’s harder for him to make time. He spoke to his seniors and they said his work load would decrease soon but it seems never-ending. “They told me that it’ll be like this for a few more months and once the hospital is able to get another doctor.”

“Wait. Would that mean you’ll get demoted?”

“No. I’ll be the attending and whoever we get will be a resident.”

“Maybe I can help reviewing the resumes, get them to hurry up.” Louis joked.

They sat in silence for a while, “Where’s Haz?”

“Napping. He’s been in a _foul_ mood today. Didn’t even go to work.”

“Really?” Harry barely ever misses a day of work. He’s every bit workaholic as the others, how they sustain their relationship is beyond them.

“Yeah, I had to threaten him with a spanking. What happened last night? Zayn was so out of it too.”

Liam looked at his husband and debated whether if he should tell Louis. It’s been in head since last night and clearly from what he hears about his husbands they feel the same. “Harry said some stuff. I guess it left an impression.”

“What…?”

Liam looked everywhere but at Louis.

“Liam, you’re worrying me, what the fuck did he say?” The alpha was getting madder by the second.

“He made an off handed comment, something I don’t think he meant.”

“Liam?! Just fucking tell me.” Louis got up, “What is it? He wants a divorce, he cheated? What?”

“Woah, woah, you’re jumping to conclusions. Nothing like that.”

Louis made a gesture with his hands asking him to hurry-the-fuck-up.

“You said something about birthing an eleven year old, right? Well, Harry ever the solution finder said we could adopt a child that age, or older.”

“What?”

“Yeah. It was an off handed comment.”

“Was it?” Louis folded his arms and looked at Liam, his anger uprising for a different reason all together.

“Lou, you didn’t hear him, he talked about adoption like people decide to do shopping?!”

“You’re telling me he missed work, sulked all day and then was nothing less than a brat after I got home because you dismissed him.”

“I did not dismiss him, Lou. You can’t talk about such an important life decision like that.”

Louis got into a defensive stance, “Okay, so tell me then, how is it that you talk about a life decision of that importance?”

“For starters don’t come up with it because of something your husband said without even realising.”

“Liam, not everything is fucking black and white, not everything has to be perfect. He thought of it, he said it. We’ve been together for way too long for thinking every time something comes out of our mouths.”

Liam shook his head and lifted his hands up in a stop gesture, “Why are we fighting about this? The conversation from last night is over, Harry feels bad about me talking to him the way I did, fine, I’ll apologize. There, are you happy now?”

“Am I happy, are you joking? What are we in high school that you’re talking to me like that?”

“Louis, I don’t understand _why_ we’re having this conversation.” Maybe he should have stayed at the hospital. “Why are you dragging this out?”

“Because what is so wrong with what Harry suggested?”

Liam had to pause and think about what Louis just said, “What?” He asked once again to revaluate his position in the conversation.

“What is it about adoption that pisses you off so much you didn’t even entertain the thought of it?” Louis unfolded his arms and they drooped. Was Liam hurting him without even knowing that he is?

“I have _nothing_ against adoption!?”

“Then why not even give it a thought?” Louis’s voice got louder and he hoped that it wasn’t reaching to the sleeping omega. “You do realise I was adopted too, right? I know it was under different circumstances but I was. I did take my dad’s name regardless of whether he is my biological father or not.”

Oh. That’s where this was coming from. “Lou,” Liam took his alpha’s wrist in hand and drew him closer till he was sitting again, “I have no qualms about adoption, I promise. In fact I think it’s so great and there are only few who are blessed with it, it’s not everyone’s cup of tea.”

“Then why can’t it be an option for us?” Louis whispered. He cannot believe this was something they were actually considering, something he actually wants to do.

“It can. We can do whatever we want to, okay? You want to adopt? We’ll discuss it with everyone see where everyone stands and then do it. You want to have a child biologically? We’ll do that too.” Liam hugged the alpha tight and felt relief when he was being hugged back.

“So you’ll think about it?”

Liam nodded and kissed the alpha, “Can I be honest for a sec?”

“Of course.”

“I haven’t stopped thinking about it actually. I have been thinking about it so much that I was distracted at work, that’s why I’m home early too.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.” Liam breathed, “I’ve just felt really guilty about it.”

“Guilty? Why?”

“Lou, I don’t want to do this because it’s convenient for us, I want to do it because we _really_ want to.”

Louis sighed, “Li, we can never deny that the idea came to Haz because of convenience but we can make sure that our intentions are pure. That no matter what we decide it’ll be good for us and the child.”

“I understand that, but… I don’t know, maybe I’ll feel better when we talk about it with Z, Ni and Haz.”

“Speaking of Haz, we need to go wake him up.”

“Can I? I want to see how he’s doing and apologize.”

Louis kissed the alpha’s cheek and agreed, “I’ll go see what we can make for dinner. Z should be home soon.”

Liam tip-toed into his room, not wanting to startle his omega who was clutching Niall’s pillow close to him and sleeping with a pout. Harry likes to think he’s mysterious with his emotions, and maybe he is to outsiders, but Liam can read him from the way he breathes. They all can, and it comes in handy all the time. Times like this. Liam knows that Harry is angry with him, but he also knows that it’s not the I-want-to-fight-with-you angry, it’s the I-want-to-hold-you-and-show-you-my-displeasure-with-a-pout, type of angry. They all had types of angry and some of them you did not want to be met with.

“Hazza,” He slipped in gently behind Harry and put a hand in his hair, softly massaging it and rising the omega from his slumber. “Time to wake up, love.” He pressed a soft kiss to his temple and smiled against it when Harry whined and pushed back into his body.

It took a few minutes of coaxing the omega into waking up completely, “You’re home early.”

“Yeah, was bit of a day.” Liam nosed his mating mark on the left side of Harry’s neck, he pressed a few open-mouthed kisses there. “You didn’t go to work today.”

Harry nodded and tilted his head to the side to give his alpha better access. “I didn’t feel like going in today.”

Liam sighed into his neck and gave it one last kiss, “Because of me last night?”

The curly-head shrugged, “I don’t know. Weird headspace or whatever.”

“Haz, tell me.” He snaked a hand into the omega’s t-shirt and caressed his stomach.

“I… I felt horrible after you told me the way I sounded. That was never my intention, to sound like a prick.”

“You weren’t a prick.” He lifted Harry’s face with his index finger, “I’m sorry I got so mad. It was just the moment and I was having a day.”

“But you weren’t wrong. I should have thought about it before saying it.”

Liam tsked and shook his head, “No. You were expressing what you were feeling honestly, and it was wrong of me to dismiss you like that. I’m really sorry, baby.”

Harry smiled at the alpha and kissed him, “Me too.”

“I spoke to Lou about it.”

Harry looked at him shocked, “Yeah?”

Liam hummed in agreement, “He wants to talk more about it.”

Harry didn’t say anything for a minute and it made the alpha nervous. What if Harry changed his mind? “So we’d actually be considering adopting?” The omega’s smile grew and he had an excited energy about him.

“We’ll have to talk to Ni and Z since they’ve missed pretty much everything, but yes, we will.”

“Oh my God.” Harry squealed and jumped Liam making the alpha fall flat on his back, the omega straddled him and kissed him soundly.

“Wow, okay.” Liam smirked when Harry came up for air. He placed his hands on the omega’s hips and brought him closer, “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

*****

Niall came home last which was very unusual but the omega had not lost the bounce in his step. Zayn had come home just as Louis had finished cooking, and they decided they’d talk to the two of them together.

“Hi, baby, did you eat yet?” Louis kissed the omega and pulled him down to sit with him.

“Yes, we ordered lots of Chinese. Like lots.”

“Ni, we had Chinese like two days ago, how can you have more?” Zayn pointed out.

“Dude, I love Chinese.” Niall said and leaned forward to kiss the alpha.

“Please don’t call me dude. We’ve been married for too long for that.”

“I’ll call you dude if I want to call you dude.” The omega rolled his eyes. He lit up when Liam and Harry walked into the living room. Niall opened his arms for Harry and snuggled into him. “You smell nice.”

“I smell like Li.”

Niall made an agreeing sound and nuzzled deeper into Harry. “How was work?” He whispered to his omega and pressed soft kisses on his jaw.

“I didn’t go today.”

“What, why?”

Harry looked at Louis and Liam who nodded at him. “Well…” He untangled himself from Niall’s embrace and cleared his throat. “Last night I said something about adoption right?”

Niall quirked an eyebrow but nodded. Harry watched Zayn from the corner of his eye, the alpha lost his relaxed posture. He sat up forward and leaned forward like he wanted to hear Harry better.

“We talked about it. We as in Li, Lou and I but we wouldn’t make any decisions unless we all know what we want and are sure about it.”

“Sure about what?” Zayn asked.

“I mean, Louis said if there was a way we could get an eleven-twelve year old to be our kid, and while it would be impossible biologically, it is not impossible.”

“Would you get to the point already?”

Harry took a deep breath, “We were talking about adoption. We want to… consider adoption.”

Niall and Zayn looked at each other. “So I wasn’t the only one thinking about it all day?” Niall asked.

“You thought about it?” Harry’s eye blew wide with surprise as well as hope. If he was thinking about it, it meant it was a solid option for them to think about. But Zayn.

“Yeah, why do you think I was stuck at work for so long? I had to go through the same file like four times.”

Harry saw Zayn. The alpha didn’t look so sure. “Z?” He loves Zayn. So much and if this isn’t something that Zayn wants, he would never force him or expect him to go with it just because majority was winning out but damn would he be sad. He would be devastated. He hasn’t even met this kid that’s they would foster and then adopt but he’s attached. It’s probably unhealthy, isn’t it?

“I don’t think it’s a very good idea.”

“Why?” Louis questioned, a touch offended.

“Lou, don’t get me wrong. I think adoption as a concept is amazing but I don’t think you guys understand how hard it can be.”

“Yeah, the process is lengthy but so is waiting for nine months for a baby.” Liam said.

“I’m not talking about paper-work and getting verified. What about the kid?”

“What about them?” Harry was getting defensive. He can’t help himself. One person disagreeing meant they would not go through with it.

“Haz, children at the centre aren’t normal kids, babe.”

“Excuse me?” This time Louis’s voice came out condescending and he wasn’t sorry about it.

“I didn’t… damnit, guys, these kids at the centre they have dark pasts. We don’t know what they’ve been through and how to deal with it. We aren’t even remotely educated enough to deal with that. These kids require special attention and nurturing.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Harry asked matching Louis’s tone.

“Kids at the adoption centre aren’t there always because their parents died, Haz. Some are there because of reasons that would make us sick to our stomachs. There are children whose parents have abused them, parents who neglected them. Some children were forcibly separated from their parents for whatever reasons the government saw fit.”

“So what you’re saying is, that if they’ve gone through something bad in their lives they don’t deserve a chance at a good life? Isn’t that all the more reason to stick with adoption?” Niall voiced. Harry was pleasantly surprised at the omega sticking up for this. He hasn’t even been part of the conversation for that long.

“You’re twisting my words, Niall. I’m saying that these kids require tender care. Can we really give that to a child?”

“We can learn to.” Louis said.

“Easier said than done, Lou.” Zayn knew it was four against one, but they’ve been married long enough not to take it personally.

Liam had been awfully quiet since Zayn laid out his opinions and when Harry’s eyes landed on the alpha, the omega was afraid he’d changed his mind. “What are you thinking, Li?”

“He’s right, you know? I hate to say it but yeah, situations that these kids come from… they are _terrible_ , sometimes… they never can heal from it.”

“Doesn’t mean we can’t try.” Louis whispered.

“Lou, trust me it’s a shit show. It’s… saddening and hard.”

“How do you know so much about it?” Niall questioned.

“My dad’s friends adopted. They were trying for a baby but then they found out they couldn’t have one. But they were desperate for a child so they thought of adoption. Alice, they adopted her at thirteen. It was a nightmare, she drove them up the wall, acted out at school to the point that they had to home-school her.”

“Z, I understand what you’re saying but not all kids are the same.”

Zayn sighed, “I’m not saying all the kids are the same but it wasn’t that Alice was a terrible daughter. It was that the two got so attached to her, they loved her so much it had no bounds. She could never love them the same. And that wasn’t even the problem, the problem was she was hurting in places they couldn’t reach. It wasn’t nice and it sure as hell wasn’t easy.”

“Where are they now?”

“Alice left for uni, Baba says she calls them every now and then but that’s about it. Barely visits.”

Harry didn’t feel any better. Alice is a different story, in fact they don’t even know her story, how can they base their decision based off of one person? “That still proves nothing. These foster places train parents. They won’t give us a child we can’t take care of.”

“This is the government, Haz, they want as many kids to get adopted. Honestly the visits to make sure the child is okay are half-arsed too.”

Louis hung his head, “So you don’t want to do this, right?”

Zayn sighed and closed his eyes. Hardest part about being in a pack is being the one that doesn’t agree with everyone else. Majority wins sucks, but minority wins doesn’t seem as rewarding as it sounds. “I don’t.”

Harry tried to school his face features. He nodded two to three times and got up to leave.

Zayn hates that he was the one eliciting that kind of a reaction from one of his omegas but he knows in the long run they’ll thank him… he thinks.

“Hope you’re happy.” Louis scoffs and follows his husband.

Zayn doesn’t take it personally, he knows Louis says that now and then he’ll come apologize with a bucket load of kisses and cuddles. However, he thinks he’s not going to get them anytime soon. Meanwhile he himself needs to plan a sorry to his husbands.


End file.
